Political Quotes

“I am pleased to be joined by Senators Durbin, Tim Johnson, Whitehouse, and Blumenthal in the introduction of the Immunization Improvements Act. This legislation builds on my longstanding work, including several provisions I authored in the Affordable Care Act, to improve vaccination rates and population-based immunity. Our introduction of this legislation is particularly timely given a recent report cited in yesterday's Wall Street Journal revealing the number of deaths globally as a result of the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009 and 2010. The analysis found that the number of deaths from H1N1 to be 15 times the original reports, up from 18,500 to 280,000 cases. In the United States, the estimates are more than triple the original cases, from 8,500 to nearly 30,000. Two provisions of the legislation we are introducing today are based on efforts underway in Rhode Island to improve vaccination rates against seasonal influenza and pneumonia. Specifically, it would authorize a five-state demonstration project that allows the state to purchase certain vaccines and distribute them free of charge to physicians for administration in seniors, who are at the highest risk of death from these preventable diseases. In addition to increasing vaccination rates, this model has limited the cost and administrative burden for providers and reduced the cost of vaccines to the Federal government.…”